The scene in Richmond Terrace, Shelton, where a man on a roof threw tiles at police officers.

Prosecutor David Bennett said the siege, in the Wellesley Street and Richmond Terrace area of Shelton, began at 3.38am on June 3 and lasted until 3.32pm.

Mr Bennett said: “A Wellesley Street resident called the police as a suspect (the defendant) was in his back yard. He had been seen on the roof balancing like a tightrope walker and climbing like Spiderman. He was refusing to come down and was behaving erratically.

Read More

“He picked up a garden fork. He broke into premises used as function rooms and caused a great deal of damage inside. He caused damage to several roofs. He threw roof tiles for long periods at police on the street below. He threatened them with a garden fork. Some officers were struck with tiles. They attempted to use CS gas and a taser was deployed but did not seem to have an effect.

“One officer scaled a ladder to reach the defendant but he began stamping down on his helmet and the officer retreated.

“He eventually agreed to come down. In the ambulance he was aggressive to police and spat at an officer’s chest.

“Staff at the hospital refused to treat him, such was the level of aggression and abuse.”

Read More

Adam Watkins, mitigating, said the defendant, a dad-of-three, had moved away from Stoke-on-Trent to start a new life but made a ‘foolish’ decision to return.

Mr Watkins said: “It was an appalling piece of behaviour. He has not been able to explain what lay behind it. He can now see his behaviour caused substantial cost, inconvenience and some fear to those in the immediate vicinity.”

Read More

Judge Paul Glenn told Finney: “I do not know what triggered this but your actions caused significant disruption to the lives of residents in the area. Some were people with mental health difficulties in a nursing home.

"You caused a significant amount of damage - including to the premises you broke into. You threw roof tiles at police, a number hit them. You made threats with a pitch fork, you would not comply with police negotiators and at the end of the incident you spat at an officer.”